WhatsApp Android Beta Gets GIF Search

(CCM) — After rolling out a GIF image search box in its iOS app last year in November, WhatsApp has expanded the feature to its Android Beta version. The Facebook-owned company has integrated this feature into the keyboard of the chat box, where there will be a separate GIF icon visible in the bottom-right corner after clicking the emoji button. Users can, then, search directly for GIFs and send them to a chosen contact in just one click. The feature offers trending GIFs from popular brands, like Giphy and Tenor; however, users can also locate GIFs by typing keywords into the search box. To take advantage of the new addition, users need to download WhatsApp Beta v2.17.6 from Google Play’s Beta community. Alternatively, they can wait until it appears on the stable version, which is reported to happen very soon.

WhatsApp Beta will also now allow users to share up to 30 files in one go. Previously, there was a limit of up to 10 files. The abilities to search for GIFs and send bigger file packages are not the instant messenger service’s only recent major revamps. In October, WhatsApp rolled out the ability to convert live images into a GIF or a 6-second video to share with contacts.